This fall, voters will determine the future direction of Denver schools.
Three of the seven seats on the Denver school board are up for election. No incumbents are running, making a shakeup on the board all the more likely.
If candidates backed by the Denver teachers union win at least two of the three seats, union-backed members will have a majority on the board for the first time in recent history. That could set the stage for a shift away from encouraging school choice and school autonomy to more heavily investing in traditional schools.
For more on who has endorsed which candidates, read our stories here, here, and here.
All Denver voters may cast ballots for the at-large race, because that school board member represents the entire city. But only voters who live in southeast Denver may also cast ballots in the District 1 race, and only voters who live in northwest Denver may also cast ballots for District 5.
Each of the three races features three candidates, for a total of nine. We sent the same set of questions to all nine candidates. Below are their answers. We’ve edited them for clarity. We’ve also added links to our previous coverage in places where candidates referenced programs or initiatives — such as Prop CC or the para-to-teacher program — without a full explanation.